Cairo  - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected in Cairo on Sunday for talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak about reviving Israeli-Arab peace negotiations.

Netanyahu's visit comes as US envoy George Mitchell is in Israel for talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman and Israeli President Shimon Peres, as part of what White House officials have promised will be a new push for a Middle East peace plan this month.

But it also comes as the "confidence-building measures" the United States and the European Union have sought ahead of comprehensive peace talks appear more remote.

The Israeli government last week announced it would allow the construction of 455 new homes in West Bank settlements. The move drew sharp criticism from Cairo and other Arab capitals, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he saw "no point" in meeting with Netanyahu without a freeze on Israeli construction in the West Bank.

The Israeli and US governments have been at odds over the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Last week, the White House said Israel's decision was "inconsistent" with its international commitments to peace. The European Union expressed "serious concern."

Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel, has been an active mediator in resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.  dpa